BBQ pork ribs baked in the oven - foil

In short, this is the best recipe for super juicy, tender and fall-off-the-bone ribs! I will also put here all the tips and secrets for getting the same fantastic result time after time, using different spices and sauces, because the most important thing in achieving perfect tasting ribs that make you sigh with pleasure is not some secret ingredient, but the technique itself.

Basically, oven-roasted pork ribs are a fairly simple and low-maintenance dish, because most of the cooking involves fidgeting and bending over the oven waiting for the time when I can finally serve it, in short, the hardest part is the waiting. It is also a wonderful choice for all meat lovers who like very flavoursome and extremely tender ribs, but have already closed the barbecue season (if it ever closes). Ribs in the oven remain a hit in all seasons, in all weathers and under all circumstances!

You can either use your own spice mix and sauce for these ribs or, if you are short of time, buy spices to rub on the ribs and a ready-made BBQ sauce.

Secrets to the tastiest ribs in the oven:

In my long experience, there are just a few very simple rules that are a must if you want to have amazing results every time. But if I had to single out rule number 1, it would definitely be what in English can be called "low and slow". Well, but I will quickly note my most important rules.

Ribs. Choose medium or meaty ribs. If the ribs are "smoking", they will quickly become rare, shrink and, in short, there is nothing to enjoy. Accordingly, ribs that are extremely meaty take longer to cook, so adjust and monitor the cooking time. Fat is another very important criterion when choosing ribs. Fat is essential for tender and juicy meat. Whenever possible, we always choose ribs with a nice distribution of fat and make sure that there is neither too much nor too little fat. If you think there is too much fat, you can always trim it off, but if there is too little, the meat may be dry.

Film. Depending on where you buy your ribs, there may or may not be a film on the inside of the ribs right next to the bone. If there is, make sure you peel it off! Peeling off the film will ensure that the meat falls off the bone when the ribs are cooked and that it is not too hard to chew!

Washing. Make sure you wash the meat in cold water before cooking, as it is common to find small pieces of bone on the ribs from cutting in the meat processing plant. After rinsing, it is imperative to dry very well with a paper towel! You can then rub the ribs with the spices of your choice.

Cooking. As I have already pointed out, cooking must be slow and at a low temperature. A kilo of ribs should take about 2,5 hours to cook well, but if you want ribs that fall off the bone, you will need about 3-4 hours, depending on their weight. The cooking temperature is 135 degrees. If you want ribs that taste especially good, never cook them! Boiling with water draws out all the flavour from the ribs. The broth will be wonderful, but the ribs themselves are simply tasteless.

Sauce. The sauce is only put on the ribs when they are fully cooked. The ribs with the sauce must be moved up one step in the oven, the heat turned up a notch and the ribs cooked for just a few minutes until the sauce caramelises nicely.

The short process for making the tastiest ribs in the oven is as follows (see also the complete process from A to Z below):

1) Remove the foil.
2) Drain and rub the ribs generously with your favourite spices. Wrap in foil.
3) Bake in a 135 degree oven for approximately 3-4 hours, depending on the weight of the ribs.
4) Remove the ribs from the foil, brush them with the sauce and bake in a high heat oven one notch higher until the sauce has caramelised.

The great thing is that you can bake different ribs each time, changing the spices and/or sauce. There are a variety of spice mixes that can be used to rub the ribs, from the classic BBQ and smoke flavours to a Texan spicy spice mix or simply salt and pepper. The sauce also comes in a whole host of variations, from store-bought BBQ to homemade sticky ribs sauce. The possibilities are endless. Anyway, this time I will share my recipe for fantastic oven-baked ribs! Let's read and cook!